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Burnham-on-Crouch town mayor Bob Calver, 66, said: “It’s a very strange story of a lamppost which was erected without an idea of how it was going to be connected when it was lit up.

"[Every time I walk past it] it makes me feel that I wish we could do something about it.

"It's a ridiculous situation. I would describe the plans as missing an essential step.

Mayor of Burnham-on-Crouch, Bob Calver, has spoken on the issue (Image: SWNS)

"From my investigations it would appear that the original project plan...nobody had worked out the cost of linking it to the mains."

Council workers in Burnham-on-Crouch organised to have the street light put up on land owned by Maldon District Council, but they didn’t take into account how much it would cost to wire the street light up to the mains.

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Mr Calver also said that both Essex County Council and Maldon District Council have refused to connect the lamppost to the mains because of the estimated £5,000 cost.

Burnham Town Council has now decided to hire a lighting contractor to estimate how much it would cost to power the lamppost with a solar panel.

"It goes back years and the last note we had from Essex County Council is that they had investigated the cost of connecting it to the mains and as it cost between £4,000 and £5,000 they had not proceeded," said Mr Calver.

There is a dispute between two councils over who should pay for the light once connected to the mains (Image: SWNS)

"As you can imagine as a small council we have to be very careful how we spend taxpayers' money.

"We've got a contractor coming to visit to see if a solar panel solution, which will be considerably cheaper, will actually solve the problem."

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A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: "Foundry Lane is not a publicly adopted road, therefore lighting it is not the responsibility of the Highway Authority.

"Public footpaths are not normally lit, unless there is a specific requirement."

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A spokesperson for Maldon District Council, said: "Maldon District Council does not have a responsibility for the management or connection of street lights.

"However, the Council would be happy to permit Essex County Council to connect a supply to this street light, but the responsibility for the cost of this connection is with Burnham-on-Crouch Town Council who originally requested the street light to be installed."